Dual agency washer



March 1s', 1941. w. RQCKE 2,235,645

DUAL GENCY WASHER Filed Oct.' 14. 1959 Patented Mar. 18., 1941 v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DUAL AGENCY WASHER William Rocke, South Bend, Ind.

Application October 14, 1939, Serial No. 299,469

3 Claims. (Cl. 6853) This invention relates to washing machines and 24 whose blades are arranged tosuck fluid downis a continuation in part of vmy dual agitator ward through the interior of the agitator post and fluid agency washer as disclosed in my appli- II and impel the fluid outward through the discation Serial No; 292,973, filed September 1, 1939, charge orifices I3 adjacent the bottom 'of the this latter being an addition to my fluid agency tub III. 5 washer disclosed in my Patent Re. 20,424, re- On the upper end of the drive shaft I 8 is issued June 22, 1937. mounted a gear case 25 which changes the high The particular object of this invention is to rotational speed of the shaft I8 to slow reciproprovide means whereby the washing of clothes eating motion which is transmitted to the agitator 10 by dual fluid and mechanical agencies can be 2S by means of a drive torque 21 held firmly in 10 accomplished in a conventional unitary washer position in the agitator 26 by the round head tub without using a perforated partition to proscrew 28. This is a conventional type of gear case l vide an eiective .inlet to the fluid pump. well known in the art and well illustrated in the Another object is to provide an inlet to th patent to Sherwood, No. 988,214.

fluid pump through the agitator and agitator From the foregoing structure it will be apparent l5 post which will not be stopped or seriously obthat power from the motor is transmitted through structed by the clothes in the tub. the drive shaft I8 to rotate the impeller 24 `at And a further object is to provide such an inlet motor speed and to oscillate the agitator 26 at fluid agitator and agitator post which will not a considerably slower speed.

inductair with the water. 'I he central cylindrical barrel of the agitator 20 And a still further object is to provide in a 26 is broken near its top, leavinga cylindrical dual fluid and mechanical agency washer means opening between the top section of the barrel to create a movement of the clothes being washed 26 and the lower section 26', as shown. These which will better expose them to both the fluid two cylindrical sections are joined by four agiand mechanical washing agencies. tator blades 3U, as shown. It will be particularly 25 Gther objects and benefits will be disclosed in noted that the vanes are offset centrally at the the following descriptions and drawing: sec-tion 30', the purpose of which will later be The drawing shows a cross sectional elevation explained. view showing my perforated agitator and agitator Over the cylindrical opening in the barrel of 30 post in its relation to the pump impeller and fluid the agitator 25 is fixed a bell member 3I which 30 outlet for same. completely covers the inlet openings 32 in the Now referringto the drawing, I show a conagitator post II. Although the member 3| is ventional washing machine tub I0 in which is preferably shown as a separate member, it is mounted my dual agency washing means, and it possible to make this section integral with the 35 will be observed that unlike the tub used in my agitator 26 although I preferably show it as a 35 former inventions, the tub is not divided by a separate member,

perforated partition in order to eifect propelf By observing the fluid flow arrows as shown it fluid inlet tothe pump, I will be obvious that water ejected by the impeller Mounted in the tub- I0 1s an agitator post Il 24 through th'e discharge Openings |3 will 110W 40 having discharge orifices I3 adjacent the bottom outward towards the Wan of the tub then u 4 9 p- Pf the 'tub lq The aglta'tor post I' is mounted ward along the sides of the tub and then inward ma conventional manner by the flange bracket and downward towards the inlet opening under lasrdll :L gli xgpblgllzsby the the bell member 3|. It willA be obvious vthat 45 cap screws'IS is a motor support bracket I6 which clothes SubJected to these rapidly moving Water 45 I currents will be drawn toward the agitator 26 fspoge rsloggngggiehxoe amuggw where they will bebaught bythe vanes 30 and Slidably mounted on splines of the shaft I8 `to subJected to an oscillating movement-which will drive said shaft in a conventional manner. The have the effect 0f drawmg them downward Where' clutch is a spring actuated clutch controlled by the-V Will again be subjected to the washing action 50 shifter means 20,35 shown, 0f the fluid being forcibly dishal'gd through The drive shaft I8 is mounted in a. bearing the orifices I3. During this process while the bushing 2| and extends through a water sea1 22 clothes are in Contact with the venes 30. they upward through the interior of the agitator post will be subjected t0 mechanical Washing fl'Om the II. Fixed to the drive shaft I8 is an impeller vanes 30 and such mechanical action will have 55 the desired eil'ect of changing the relation of the clothes with each other so that when they are again acted upon by the rapidly moving Water currents from the oriiices |3, different sections oi the clothing will be washed and thus complete uniform washing of the entire batch of clothes will be effected.

It is well known that oscillating movement of the agitator vane 30 has a similar effect in inducing ilow of water currents as above described,V

and, therefore, such oscillating action of my agitator vanes 30 will cooperate with the action of the water currents created by the discharge through the orifice I3. It is further well known that such water action and oscillating movement of vanes 30 has the tendency to draw air downward into the tub and such air, if not prevented by my bell member 3|, will be immediately drawn through the openings 32 in the agitator post and, therefore, the impeller 24 would be discharging both water and air, with the result that too much suds would be formed and generally the operation would be unsatisfactory.

It will be well understood from the foregoing that my bell member 3| prevents such air from entering the pump system because` the inlet opening at the bottom of the bell 3| is too far below the surface of the water to permit such action.

It will also be apparent that although clothes will be inducted'downward adjacent the water inlet opening at the bottom of the bell 3|. these clothes will be prevented from entering with the inlet water because they will then be caught by the vanes 30 and inducted downward and outward, as previously explained.

From the foregoing it is believed that my invention will lbe well understood and that by the structure as explained I have provided means whereby clothes may be washed by dual mechanical and fluid agencies without the use of a perforate partition in the tub and by means which will be helpful in better and more thoroughly washing the clothes.

Having thus described my invention,

I claim:

1. In a domestic clothes washing machine the combination of, a tub, an agitator post in said tub, a pump impeller in said post, an agitator mounted on said post, power means to rotate the impeller and oscillate the agitator, said power means including a reduced speed oscillating motion gear case mounted in the post, fluid inlet means through the agitator and the post,`r and a iluid oriflee near the bottom of the post adjacent the bottom of the agitator.

2. In a domestic clothes washing machine the combination of a tub, an agitator post in said tub, said agitator post having iiuid inlets in its upper section and a circular outlet orifice near its bot- `tom, a pump impeller mounted in said post to induct water inward through the inlets and outward through the orifice, a vaned agitator mounted exteriorly of the post for oscillatory movement, said agitator having .inlet openings adjacent the post inlets, and a bell-like cover section over said agitator inlets to-provide a circular water inlet at the bottom of the bell section, and power means to actuate said pump and agitator. 3. In a domestic clothes washing machine the combination of, a tub,V an agitator post in said tub, said agitator post having iiuid inlets in its upper section and a circular outlet orice near its bottom, a. pump impeller mounted in said post to induct water inward through the inlets and outward through the orifice, a vaned agitatorv mounted exteriorly of the post for oscillatory movement, said agitator having inlet openings adjacent the post inlets, a bell-like cover section over said agitator inlets to provide a circular water inlet at the bottom of the bell section, said circular inlet being divided by and between the vanes and power means to actuate said pump and agitator.

WILLIAM ROCKE. 

